Aaron Judge has been successfully carrying the legacy Derek Jeter set as captain of the Bronx Bombers, lauded for his mindset and dedication and the sheer way he carries the weight of wearing pinstripes. For example just last month, after clinching his second MVP, Judge was asked how it feels to be setting the standards of the league and he was proud to call himself a successor of New York’s beloved athlete.

He said on MLB Network, “I think people are always coming for the spot, so you’ve got to keep putting in the work. That’s one thing I learned at a young age. Even being in New York and watching Derek Jeter for so many years, and talking with him, he played every single game and every single season like somebody was coming for his job. He passed that mindset down to the next generation.”

But what’s even more thrilling for fans is that now these two Bronx icons are connected in a new way. Well, the captain duo both collaborated on a Topps Captain Card. A dual autographed collectible featuring both the captains in their jerseys.

This is the kind of item that collectors will dream of having. It’s the past and the present of the sheer New York Yankees‘ power. It’s also visually appealing, showing both captains in pinstripes and their bats raised, ready to hit homers. With Jeter on the left and Judge on the right, their autographs correspond below with their respective images.

And the card’s value? Well—captains who are the definition of “perfect player” of their own time, this card is more valuable than one can think.

When Judge was all but a rookie, the former manager Joe Girardi had said, “He is a little bit like Jeter to me. He has a smile all the time. He loves to play the game. You always think he is going to do the right thing on the field and off the field.” And fast forward to today, Judge has lived up to the claim. This last season, he smashed 58 home runs and became the seventh Yankee with several MVPs.

He had a slow start in April, and fans thought, that’s it! But then the 32-year-old did a 180 and silenced those doubts. Hitting .376/.506/.846 over his next 98 games, he belted homers at a rate no one saw coming. But surprisingly, the shadow of doubt people had over him this April isn’t new.

The time when Aaron Judge’s MLB career was in jeopardy

It is hard to believe now, but there was a time when not everyone was sold on Aaron Judge’s future with the Yankees, let alone him leading the team. When it was the MLB Draft time in 2013, some were not sure if he could cut it in the big leagues. Sure, he was a 6’7’’ player with strength, but some had doubts—would he make consistent contact?

The Athletics’ Billy Beane had said, “The good analytics were off the charts—the things you see now, the strength. What he did was so unique. But what he didn’t do (make contact) was always a red flag. It’s a concern for a high school kid who is 18. But if it’s still an issue three years of college, it might always be an issue.” And hence that doubt is part of what caused Aaron Judge to fall to the 32nd overall pick.

Then the Yankees went on to clinch the West Coast kid, who proved his mettle in the 2017 season. Judge played in 155 games and hit .284 with 52 homers and drove in 114 RBIs, ending the season with a Rookie of the Year award.

Right now, hordes of fans call him their role model – not bad for a guy whom so many doubted! And other teams that did not pick him must be kicking themselves!